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The German city of Ludwigsburg hosts the largest pumpkin festival in the world, held annually from early September to November. Bringing in more than 400,000 pumpkins grown in southwest Germany, the city arranges them based on a theme that varies year by year. The festival includes more than 450 species of pumpkins, some of which are edible and others that are solely used for display purposes.

Themed Displays

The annual Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival has a different theme each year, with pumpkins stacked together to create shapes unique to a subject. In 2011, the pumpkin garden was transformed into a "Jurassic Park," with pumpkins arranged in the shape of dinosaurs. The 2010 festival was island-themed, featuring pumpkins arranged as an octopus, a mermaid, a lighthouse and other sea creatures. In 2012, the festival was Switzerland-themed, with pumpkins displayed to resemble the Swiss flag, livestock and the Alps. Thousands of pumpkins are stacked together to build each year's unique creations.

Food and Drink

The German festival offers an array of pumpkin-flavored dishes, including pumpkin soups, "maultaschen" (ravioli), risotto, strudel and spaghetti. Visitors can also order pumpkin-flavored sparkling wine. Previous festivals have offered various types of the gourd-like squash, including the "Blue Banana," the "Speckled Hound," the "Little Blue Hungarian" and the "Japanese Microwave Pumpkin," all of which can be used for cooking. For those interested in making their own dishes, the festival shop also sells pumpkin seed oil, marmalade, chutney, seeds and cookbooks.

Activities

The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival features various autumn-themed activities. Using a spoon and a carving instrument, visitors can choose to carve their own pumpkins or watch sculptors transform them into artwork. On Saturdays, you can listen to live music while drinking pumpkin-flavored sparkling wine. Families with kids can let their children roll around in the "playground," a large pen filled with hay. Past festivals have hosted costume contests and pumpkin-carving competitions during the week of Halloween.

Annual Events

On one day each fall, the festival includes a race featuring canoeists paddling across a lake using boats made from hollowed-out pumpkins. The annual race takes place on the lake across from Ludwigsburg Castle. With the pumpkins frequently weighing more than 200 pounds, they are difficult to keep afloat. Ludwigsburg also features an annual competition to find Europe's heaviest pumpkin. On the last day of the festival, which marks the end of the season, the winning pumpkin is smashed after being on display for weeks.